Dundee DCA 19
November 6.00pm Glasgow Film Theatre 20 November 8.45pm Edinburgh Filmhouse 21 November 6.00pm
London Ciné Lumière 22 November 6.15pm
Director Pierre
Marcel will be present at all the screenings of the film.
TABARLY
(PG)
The legendary Eric Tabarly was
a Gallic naval officer who set a remarkable
string of speed and distance records in his sailing boats, each
of which he
christened Pen Duick.
Overnight he became the toast of France, was awarded the Légion
d’honneur,
and received a parade down the Champs-Élysées
before being congratulated by
General De Gaulle. Born in 1931, he went missing at sea in June
1998 en route
to a Regatta in Fife. After his body was found it was concluded
that he had been
accidentally knocked out cold during a massive swell, and pitched
overboard.
Director Pierre Marcel and producer Jacques Perrin (Microcosmos,
Himalaya
and Winged Migration) chart the sailor's incredible life journey
and his
mysterious disappearance. Arguably he was Europe’s most
influential sailor
of the 20th Century.
Those entranced by the recent documentary Deep Water will find
much to enjoy
in this film, which was César nominated for best documentary.
It is memorable
in particular for its stunning cinematography and a new score
by awardwinning
composer Yann Tiersen who wrote the music for Amelie.
Most of the footage finds Tabarly sailing aboard the various
Pen Duicks as he
takes one world championship after another. It has been edited
in a brisk,
no-nonsense style and includes thrilling shots of tremendous
waves washing
over the boat during storms.
Even when things go
badly, such as a race cut short after Tabarly’s boat is
slammed by a cargo ship in fog, he shows perseverance and resilience.
On an around-the-world race he loses a mast, effectively putting
him out of a win. But he doesn’t quit, pressing on after
repairs to compete in the remaining three legs of the race.
Handsome, charismatic and looking remarkably fit, at one point
he climbs up the sails in a bathing suit in rough seas to make
adjustments.
On June 29, 1976, we again see him arriving triumphantly in
Newport Harbour after winning another solo North Atlantic race,
beating the odds by skippering a boat designed for a 14-man
crew. Out of contact for days, he was feared lost at sea, but
managed to come in ahead of his one-time star pupil and despite
having to pass through the worst storm in the history of the
race. But it’s hardly the end of Tabarly’s career.
There is still a 75-year-old world record to be broken on a
sail from New York to England in 1980...
Director
Pierre Marcel
2008. 90 mins Int. Sales Pathé France
